How to Make a Worm Composting Bin, Quick, Simple and Inexpensive Gardening

What's going on with the producers, James? Because you're only coming to live from Jersey now that it falls here, the work and yard maintenance has started to slow down, but that doesn't mean we have to, so today I want to share with you an easy way to turn your kitchen scraps into next year's organic fertilizer by building your own

simple

homemade vermicompost system. Come on, now is a good time to build your own

worm

bin this way, when spring comes, we will have some

worm

droppings to add to our garden so we can

make

our own vermicompost tape, most of us still have scraps of our garden, yes we have our compost piles up and running, but this worm bin will be an additional way to collect our waste and allow nature, through worms, to turn it into beautiful black gold perfect for our soil build our Vermicompost installation itself doesn't have to be expensive it doesn't have to be complicated we don't want to think about it too much what we want to do is create an ideal environment for these worms to thrive and break down our food while we also reproduce there basically we can add additional containers if we want.

What we'll need to start our setup is an 18-gallon O Peg storage container, which is as small as we want. We want to have adequate space in there for enough oxygen to get in, something we'll get into even more later and we'll need a lid for that and also an extra lid on the bottom or something to catch the worm juice as it drains. We will need a drill with a quarter inch drill bit and you can also use nails to

make

air holes, but the drill will make it easier for you. We are not going to build a multi-container system with different tiers.

We'll just keep it

simple

and effective. This will be cheaper in the long run if you want to add additional bins and bins, but it will also be easier to monitor the entire system. I think this is also effective because it's going to be easier to allow oxygen by stacking containers which can reduce some of that oxygen and create anaerobic bacteria that we don't want and that will really hurt the worms in the long run. The first thing we want to do is drill holes in the bottom. from our container this way the worm juice can drain out the bottom so it doesn't stay there and reduce oxygen and become anaerobic.

You'll know what to be anaerobic if you get that nasty, unpleasant smell that's not the kind of decomposition that we want, so I'm also going to remove this bottom lid that will collect the juice and I'm just going to punch a bunch of holes in the bottom here to allow for drainage. You'll notice that I'm drilling these holes in the lowest part, which is where it's going to drain and I'm also drilling through the wood this way, it just doesn't come out and I have to rip it out again, putting that wood underneath to drill so it's a little bit easier for you now that it's finished, I put a bunch of them in there we'd rather have too many than not enough.

I'm going to do the same thing on the top here on the sides to allow airflow in and then I'm going to drill the top of the lid again. I'm going to drill that lid into the wood to make it easier for me to get in and out. How many holes you should drill, that's up to you, just make sure you have enough that you don't really want to have. little, especially at the top, these worms, I know I've said it many times, but they need good oxygen, here we go, that's good, a lot of holes should be perfect.

Now I'm going to drill some holes in the side of the container, you can see. what we did with this container, so we don't want to go out and buy expensive containers. This thing cost like five or six dollars. I knew I had some older containers, but I just want to buy a new one so I can give the worms a good deal. house and keep it nice and clean to get you started because I didn't want to make sure I had any chemicals or anything in the container that I was going to use, so let's move on to the next step, get in here with me today.

We are trying to make the most of this nice weather before it starts to get too cold and the next thing we want to move on to is the bedding for the worm bin they are going to live in, so the most ideal thing to use is a some homemade compost, something that is almost finished, so I think this time of year is a good time to build your worm bin, that's what we have here, a lot of compost and we want to make sure that the compost is not hot, not hot. cooking that could harm the worms so what I did was I went out the other day and I just separated some compost and then put it in a container this way the worms will be fine with the temperature and you don't have to use compost, but this will be the most ideal, it will provide them with food, it will have a nice pH, a nice environment, they will feel comfortable moving into a place like this, you could start with newspapers and stuff, but not just newspaper when you first start, otherwise you have homemade compost, who uses your bedding and you're going to use shredded newspaper or shredded cardboard, just make sure you add a little bit in Seoul as well to provide some sand.

It will help the worms break down everything better and will also add some beneficial bacteria that will help the worms in the long run. One thing that is very important when laying out bedding is the depth we don't want it to be too deep or I will cut it off. a little bit of oxygen will make everything too dense, that's not what we want so a good amount is six to eight inches at the bottom and your compost should have a good earthy smell, it shouldn't smell bad again . that sign of anaerobic bacteria, so I'm just going to add a little bit of this homemade compost here up to about six to eight inches and after that we'll have everything ready so we can start bringing in our worms now, you might be I'm wondering where we get them from. these worms and there are types of worms that are actually better for this type of thing.

Yes, there are worms that are better and those are the red wigglers. You can go out into your garden and harvest some of them, but. that will take a little time, you will have to wait for them to be produced so you can get a full enough bin of worms to break down a bin like this, in my opinion the best thing you can do is start a The system is to order from 500 to 1,000 top-size worms like this from a reputable company and I'll start with a thousand. What that will do is get all of this going once they start working really well and reproducing.

You will be able to start an extra container without having to buy more worms and red Wigglers will be best for several reasons. One thing is that they actually like to stay on top of the ground and are not territorial. like your night crawlers might be, we're almost done transferring this compost from one bin to the next, making sure we're the right height and I'm pulling out all the big sticks and stuff that's in here and again, how? The number of worms you will need in our containers will depend on the amount of food you eat.

It's all going to be youth weight, so for example, we'll start with a thousand red Wigglers, which is about a pound, as I mentioned. They will eat half their body weight every day, so they will eat about 0.5 pounds of food every day. We want to feed them once a week, so it will be about 3.5 pounds a week to maintain those thousand red wigglers. worms, if you eat less food then you can use about 500 worms and I will make sure to try to pack the food here to make sure that you can continue to breed and continue to do well.

I want to put too much in, but it's something you have to learn over time, it's something you'll get a sense of that the worms will actually maintain their population based on how much food and space they have, so if you just want to go ahead. 500 or if you just want to keep going, you know, if you're only producing about a half pound or a pound of food, keep adding that to your bin once a week and your worms will really start to develop that regulation. They will regulate themselves and their population based on the amount of base and the amount of food you give them.

I plan to give them more than they can eat so they will reproduce

quick

ly and I can create more and more containers. We have all the fertilizer. transferred looks great now it's time to add these worms we're going to add these styles and I got them from uncle jim's worm farm great reviews other people said it's a good place to use so we'll add them To start, They'll be a little lethargic because they spend a few days in the mail and it's just peat. I think they left them here just to absorb moisture, so they look good, we're getting some good movement. which is always a good sign, they should really enjoy this compost and for the first week or so I'm not going to add any additional food because I want them to get used to their new home, almost like what happens when you transfer a plant. or transplants, what happens is that it takes them a little bit of time to adapt, so I want to make sure that the worms can adapt in these composters, there will be enough food for them to snack on and then in a week, I will come and start giving them some kitchen leftovers.

I won't give you whole leftovers. I'll chop them or probably blend them. It's the easiest thing for them to digest. What I will do is come from one side. food scraps mixed up and they dump it right here and then cover it, it will take them a good week to eat those scraps and again, how much food they can actually process will depend on a number of things, for example a newer container like this one. It will take a little time for it to start thriving and break down those remains

quick

ly, so once I have an idea of ​​how I'm going to adjust it, I want to make sure I can breed as many worms here as possible. so I can build more containers so we're going to go further, but we don't want the food to sit here any longer because it's going to start to get mold and that's not what we want worms to contain.

You'll notice I didn't mix them, I just put them on top, they will naturally go down and bury themselves in the bedding, they will enjoy it, you saw it's not super wet, it's wet because these worms need moisture, but it's not super wet, it's not. soggy, we don't want that and when I put the food scraps in the mixed scraps I will just bury a small hole and then cover it with about an inch of mulch so the worms on one side will migrate in and eat everything. that and then a week later I'll do it on the other side.

One thing to think about is that worms won't eat your vegetable seeds, that's just part of nature, it's part of what's ingrained in them, so when you put your worm droppings in, you might get some things, some tomato seeds and some other plant seeds so keep an eye on the temperature these worms are going to want to be somewhere that's between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain a temperature you don't want it to be super hot super cold , so I'm going to take them into the garage, where I have one side that's a little bit warm, it's going to be the perfect ideal temperature, so what I'm going to do is open the lid and then put the base under it, let the worms settle and let them start to work and do what they do best some things you don't want to feed your worms our fatty foods, salty foods, anything that has really vinegar or even citrus because citrus will actually be antimicrobial and these worms like to eat foods that are being decomposing and rotting, if you find that you can't keep up with how much the worms eat, then that's a good thing. what you can do is go to your local coffee shop and get some coffee grounds, don't worry we will eat them and you can also go and harvest some leaves locally so I think now is a good time to build your container because people are going I'm going to start raking your leaves around here and putting them in bags, so I'm going to go get some of those bags and store them this way.

I can keep these worms well fed. I'll be honest with you and most of you. I know this, but I think it is the most efficient and effective way to grow worms if you do it naturally in your own garden with a thick mulch of organic matter, let the worms come in as they would and constantly work for you. Don't know. I'm wondering if the compost bin is a bad idea, although I think it's a great idea and one of the reasons I want to start is so I can use up that kitchen waste I have without having to go to my regular compost pile when it's cold and treat it like that, but I also want to get worm castings so I can make some worm compost.

Heat, which will be very beneficial for my garden next year. I would spray it on my plants as a foliar feed. I don't think it's something that can provide us with food like I have, but work in combination with the worms working naturally here. and then do thatwork inside for me, I think it's going to be great, I think it's going to be beneficial and I think it's something that you know any real gardener loves to do, they love taking advantage of things like kitchen scraps and turning them into gold. in the fertility of the soil into something that will produce more and more food for us the worms have been here for a few minutes I wanted to show you how they have migrated down you don't see much up here anymore as I move there is something squirming around there but they are calming down they They're also starting to move into compost, so they'll really love these things and I'm excited to give them a nice home.

We will be waiting a week, like I said, until I give them food, but soon I will update them later and then expand them by adding more and more containers. Well, it's been a few days and the worms are well adapted to the new location. Now I will add some food if they just start with newspaper or cardboard you want to make sure you put the food in right when you turn on the worm bin they have to have something to eat but since I have this

composting

this allowed them to have adequate food while they were adjusting to their new home, the worms are doing very well.

The dryness up here still has some peat from the initial pour, but the worms are all scattered around here. I'm really enjoying the consistency of the soil/compost again. Homemade compost will be your best option to start, but you can do it. Start with scraps of newspaper and cardboard things like that so the worms are down there working now that a few days have passed. I'm going to pour in some food scraps, just dig a little bit like I did and then we'll pour these mixed in. Collect the remains, mix them, this will make it much easier for the worms to digest.

Pour it right there. It will also help keep the moisture content fairly high. If it's too wet, add a little newspaper if it's not wet enough. you might want to add a little bit of moisture or a little bit of water, we'll just cover it again like this and then about a week or so we'll put food on this side and then cover it, we'll keep alternating from side to side. That's the side of today's video. Thanks for seeing it. I hope you enjoyed. I hope you got something out of it. I hope you have been encouraged to go out.

Pay for your own worm bin. It started this way. You can take what most people see as waste and turn it into it. for the fertility of the soil, turn it into food for you, turn it into something that actually benefits us all. If you enjoyed the video, hit the like button, hit the subscribe button. Share with your friends. Don't forget to check out the merchandising. Talking James. on my way back with another one very soon